House votes to let guns into bars

A divided Ohio House voted yesterday to allow concealed-carry permit holders to take guns into restaurants, bars and open-air arenas that serve alcohol as long as they do not drink.

A divided Ohio House voted yesterday to allow concealed-carry permit holders to take guns into restaurants, bars and open-air arenas that serve alcohol as long as they do not drink.

"I say we're not expanding Second Amendment rights. We are restoring Second Amendment rights," said Rep. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, one of the measure's sponsors. "How sad we have to do that. We have had substantial infringement upon our constitutional rights."

The bill passed 56-40 and moves on to the Senate, which has passed a nearly identical version of the legislation. House Speaker William G. Batchelder, R-Medina, said he expects the chambers to decide within a week which bill will be voted on for final passage.

The House bill also would loosen restrictions on how guns are transported in vehicles, allowing loaded guns to be carried without being holstered or put in a case.

Supporters argued that police cannot be everywhere and often are called too late to stop a murder. "We're making one less victim zone in Ohio, because right now, a bad guy knows that that's a place where law-abiding citizens will not carry a firearm," Johnson said.

Business owners still could post signs banning guns from their establishments.

SixRepublicans voted against the bill, including Rep. Mike Duffey of Worthington, who said he would support allowing permit holders to carry guns into restaurants but not into bars, strip clubs and nightclubs.

"Do you want guns in bars? My common sense said no," Duffey said. "There are always limitations to every right and freedom, and our rights generally end where someone else's life starts. I don't play a lot of games with that."

Republican Reps. Todd McKenney of New Franklin, Gerald Stebelton of Lancaster, Richard Hollington of Hunting Valley, Kirk Schuring of Canton, and Nan Baker of Westlake also voted no. Democrats Debbie Phillips of Athens, Sean O'Brien of Brookfield and Lou Gentile of Steubenville voted for the bill.

Rep. Anne Gonzales, R-Westerville, noted that she can carry her gun into Einstein Bros. Bagels but not into Lindey's restaurant in German Village because it sells alcohol.

"Am I somehow less responsible because someone else is having a drink with their dinner?" she said.

According to data from the Legal Community Against Violence, seven states have laws similar to the Ohio proposal. Seven states prohibit guns in places that serve alcohol, and many others allow guns into restaurants or are silent on the matter, generally leaving it up to local laws.

Earlier yesterday, Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman joined Scott Heimlich, owner of the Barcelona restaurant in German Village and vice president of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association, to urge legislators to defeat the bill, which Coleman called a "toxic mix" of guns and alcohol.

"We have to start injecting some common sense into these discussions," Coleman said.

He suggested that if lawmakers think it's a good idea to carry guns in bars, they should also allow guns into the Statehouse. Gov. John Kasich recently said he wants to install metal detectors at the Statehouse because he is concerned about security.

Heimlich said he does not doubt that concealed-carry permit holders are well-behaved, law-abiding citizens. "But alcohol changes all of us just a little bit. Some get silly, and for some it might bring out some anger issues."

Heimlich also expressed concern about liability issues and insurance costs associated with the bill, and he questioned how he could enforce the ban on drinking by those who carry guns.

"Do we do pat-downs or ask every guest before we serve them a glass of wine?" he said.

Law-enforcement groups also opposed the bill.

The bill brought out impassioned, personal speeches, such as one by Rep. Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, who talked about two shootings involving his mother: one in which she shot his father, who was drinking, and the other in which his mother was killed by a family friend who was drunk.

"Alcohol and firearms, they don't mix," he said.

McKenney tried without success to strip the guns-in-bars provision from the bill. He said he is a member of the National Rifle Association, but "this issue is all about alcohol, not guns."

"We must consider the worst possible places that we are endorsing concealed-carry owners to walk into," he said. "We're not just talking about Applebee's and Olive Garden."

The House yesterday also approved House Bill 54, a less-controversial gun bill that supporters say would harmonize Ohio law with federal law by allowing people with minor drug convictions to apply for full gun-possession rights.

jsiegel@dispatch.com

Batchelder said a few weeks ago that he didn't have the votes to pass the bill, but pro-gun groups turned up the pressure. "We picked up votes. It's that simple," Batchelder said.

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